Musings and stories from a 40-something year old slut newbie

STD testing

I recognize I am super lucky to be able to afford to pay for STD/I testing and that I can use HSA account dollars to pay for testing (and that I don’t have to wait in line at a free clinic). But it’s still a pain in the butt to get over to a lab for testing. So, based on the googles, I found PrivateIDNA.com as an at-home testing option. It’s pretty easy, really. You order the kit (male or female). The female kit comes with a vaginal swab and lancets for blood draw. Basically, you swab your vagina (the instructions on that are probably not the best, but it’s also not that complicated), put it in the container marked for that. And you use the lancet to put blood drops on a special paper in a special spot and then you seal it all up, according to instructions, and mail it back.

So, the pros – you do it on your own time, in your own home, no waiting in line, and when the results are ready, you just check online for the results. Super simple.

The only con was that it takes awhile. You have to wait for the test kit to arrive (a few days) and it did take probably over a week to get the results back…and I never saw the email letting me know that results were back, I just found them by logging into the website and checking. So, I don’t know if the email went to spam or what…But waiting a week (even when you aren’t worried) still create anxiety.

Overall, though, I’d use this method again. Especially since I have bad veins for blood draws.

Oh, and all was clear 🙂

(PS: No one asked me to post this review and I bought the kit myself. I just figured that it might be of interest to others)